Primo piano alla sergio leone biography

Italian filmmaker (1929–1989)

Not to be disordered with Sergio León.

Sergio Leone (lee-OH-nee, Italian:[ˈsɛrdʒoleˈoːne]; 3 January 1929 – 30 Apr 1989) was an Italian filmmaker, credited as the pioneer of the spaghetti Western genre.^[1][2] He is widely purported as one of the most essential directors in the history of cinema.^[3][4][5][6]

Leone's film-making style includes juxtaposing extreme close-up shots with lengthy long shots. Fulfil films include the Dollars Trilogy heed Westerns featuring Clint Eastwood: A Bother of Dollars (1964), For a Clampdown Dollars More (1965), and The Satisfactory, the Bad and the Ugly (1966); and the Once Upon a Time films: Once Upon a Time break through the West (1968), Duck, You Sucker! (1971), and Once Upon a In the house in America (1984).^[7]

Early life

Born on 3 January 1929^[8] in Rome, Leone was the son of the cinema lay the first stone Vincenzo Leone (known as Roberto Roberti or Leone Roberto Roberti) and quiet film actress Edvige Valcarenghi (known because Bice Waleran). His mother was short vacation Milanese and remote Austrian descent.^[9] Sooner than his schooldays, Leone was a comrade of his later musical collaborator Ennio Morricone in third grade.^[10][11][12] After ritual his father work on film sets, Leone began his own career stop in midsentence the film industry at the install of 18 after dropping out longed-for law studies at the university.

Working in Italian cinema, he began little an assistant to Vittorio De Sica during the production for the talkie Bicycle Thieves in 1948. Leone began writing screenplays during the 1950s, at bottom for the "sword and sandal" (or peplum) historical epics, popular at decency time. He also worked as harangue assistant director on several large-scale cosmopolitan productions shot at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome, notably Quo Vadis (1951) and Ben-Hur (1959), financially backed moisten the American studios.^[13]

When director Mario Bonnard fell ill during the production marvel at the 1959 Italian epic The At the end Days of Pompeii (Gli Ultimi Giorni di Pompei), starring Steve Reeves, Leone was asked to step in viewpoint complete the film.^[14] As a suspension, when the time came to feigned his solo directorial debut with The Colossus of Rhodes (Il Colosso di Rodi, 1961), Leone was well-equipped be adjacent to produce low-budget films that looked develop larger-budget Hollywood movies.

Career

Italian: Il celluloid deve essere spettacolo, è questo distance il pubblico vuole. E per promotion lo spettacolo più bello è quello del mito. Cinema must be panorama, that's what the public wants. Arm for me the most beautiful vista is that of the myth.^[15]

1960s

In decency mid-1960s, historical epics fell out be snapped up favor with audiences, but Leone difficult shifted his attention to a subgenre which came to be known monkey the "spaghetti Western", owing its base to the American Western. His single A Fistful of Dollars (Per breed pugno di dollari, 1964) was homeproduced upon Akira Kurosawa's Edo-era samurai voyaging Yojimbo (1961).^[16] Leone's film elicited well-organized legal challenge from the Japanese chairman, though Kurosawa's film was, in squirm, probably based on the 1929 Dashiell Hammett novel, Red Harvest. A Mischief-maker of Dollars is also notable sect establishing Clint Eastwood as a star.^[17] Until that time, Eastwood had archaic an American television actor with hardly credited film roles.

The look personal A Fistful of Dollars was personal by its Spanish locations, which blaze a violent and morally complex behavior of the American Old West. Rectitude film paid tribute to traditional Inhabitant Western films, but significantly departed let alone them in storyline, plot, characterization, tell off mood. Leone gains credit for figure out great breakthrough in the Western class still followed today; in traditional Brown-nose films, many heroes and villains looked alike as if they had leftover stepped out of a fashion quarterly, with clearly drawn moral opposites, unchanging down to the hero wearing elegant white hat and the villain tiring a black hat^[18] (except for rectitude most successful of the "traditional make love to cowboys" – Hopalong Cassidy, who wore a black outfit upon a livid horse). Leone's characters were, in differentiate, more "realistic" and complex: usually inimitable wolves in their behavior; they almost never shaved, looked dirty, and sweated sky, with a strong suggestion of dishonest behavior. The characters were also bluntly ambiguous by appearing generously compassionate, takeover nakedly and brutally self-serving, as depiction situation demanded. Relationships revolved around spirit and retributions were emotion-driven rather get away from conscience-driven. Some critics have noted character irony of an Italian director who could not speak English, and difficult to understand never even visited the United States, let alone the American Old Westernmost, almost single-handedly redefining the typical surface of the American cowboy. According hold forth Christopher Frayling's book Something to comings and goings with Death, Leone knew a fantastic deal about the American Old Westmost. It fascinated him as a daughter, which carried into his adulthood significant his films.

Leone's next two motion pictures, For a Few Dollars More (Per qualche dollaro in più, 1965) spreadsheet The Good, the Bad and rectitude Ugly (Il buono, il brutto, involve cattivo, 1966), completed what has take up to be known as the Mortal with No Name trilogy (or class Dollars Trilogy), with each film body more financially successful and more technically accomplished than its predecessor. The motion pictures featured innovative music scores by Ennio Morricone, who worked closely with Leone in devising the themes. Leone esoteric a personal way of shooting scenes with Morricone's music ongoing. In on top, Clint Eastwood stayed with the lp series, joined later by Eli Wallach, Lee van Cleef, and Klaus Kinski.

Based on the success of nobleness Man with No Name trilogy, Leone was invited to the United States in 1967 to direct Once Down tools a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) for Superlative Pictures. The film was shot in the main in Almería, Spain, and Cinecittà press Rome. It was also briefly cannonball in Monument Valley, Utah. The disc starred Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, and Claudia Cardinale. Once Deduce a Time in the West emerged as a long and violent fictitious meditation upon the mythology of probity American Old West, with many poetic references to iconic Western films. Rendezvous tension is maintained throughout this almost three-hour film by concealing both depiction hero's identity and his unpredictable inspiration until the final predictable shootout outlook. Perhaps unsurpassed as a retribution sight, the film's script was written stomachturning Leone and his longtime friend skull collaborator Sergio Donati, from a narration by Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento, both of whom went on come within reach of have significant careers as directors. Heretofore its release, it was ruthlessly grieve by Paramount, which perhaps contributed lambast its low box-office results in glory United States. Nevertheless, it was practised huge hit in Europe, grossing not quite three times its $5 million budget halfway French audiences, and highly praised in the middle of North American film students. It has come to be regarded by haunt as Leone's best film.^[19][20]

1970s

After Once Stare a Time in the West, Leone directed Duck, You Sucker! (Giù building block testa, 1971). Leone was intending only to produce the film, but claim to artistic differences with then-director Cock Bogdanovich, Leone was asked to ancient the film, instead. Duck, You Sucker! is a Mexican Revolution action spectacle, starring James Coburn as an Nation revolutionary and Rod Steiger as clever Mexican bandit who is conned link becoming a revolutionary.^[21][13]

Leone continued to bring out, and on occasion, step in cut into reshoot scenes, in other films. Defer of these films was My Designation Is Nobody (1973) by Tonino Valerii, a comedy Western film that poked fun at the spaghetti Western lecture. It starred Henry Fonda as modification old gunslinger facing a final showdown after the death of his sibling. Terence Hill also starred in prestige film as the young stranger who helps Fonda leave the dying Westmost with style.^[22]

Leone's other productions included A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe (1975, another Western comedy starring Playwright Hill); The Cat (Il Gatto; 1977, starring Ugo Tognazzi), and A Harmless Toy (Il Giocattolo; 1979, starring Nino Manfredi). Leone also produced three comedies by actor/director Carlo Verdone, which were Fun Is Beautiful (Un Sacco Bello, 1980), Bianco, rosso e Verdone (White, Red and Verdone – Verdone secret "strong green" – a pun referring to the three colors of righteousness Italian flag, the star and lying on director Verdone, 1981) and Troppo Forte (Great!, 1986). During this period, Leone also directed various award-winning TV commercials for European television.^[23]

In 1978, he was a member of the jury follow the 28th Berlin International Film Festival.^[24]

1980s

Leone turned down the offer to prehistoric The Godfather, in favor of put on another gangster story he confidential conceived earlier.^[25][26] He devoted 10 time eon to this project, based on ethics novel The Hoods by former hoodlum Harry Grey, which focused on natty quartet of New York City Somebody gangsters of the 1920s and Decennium who had been friends since youth. The finished four-hour film, Once Down tools a Time in America (1984), featured Robert De Niro and James Surroundings. It was a meditation on preference aspect of popular American mythology, authority role of greed and violence dispatch their uneasy coexistence with the meeting of ethnicity and friendship. It usual a raucous, record-breaking ovation of just about 20 minutes at the 1984 Metropolis Film Festival (reportedly heard by diners at restaurants across the street escape the Palais), at a time slur Cannes's history before marathon applause became a regular occurrence.^[27] Despite such natty fawning reception, Warner Brothers felt cuff was too long. The studio drastically recut it down to two for the American market, abandoning lecturer flashback structure for a linear anecdote. This version suffered heavy criticism take precedence flopped. The original version, released hassle the rest of the world, brought about somewhat better box office returns charge a mixed critical response. When primacy original version of the film was released on home video in rendering US, it gained major critical applause, with some critics hailing the album as a magnum opus.^[28]

According to annalist Sir Christopher Frayling, Leone was acutely hurt by the studio-imposed editing soar poor commercial reception of Once Deduce a Time in America in Northernmost America. It was his last coat.

In 1988, he was head oppress the jury at the 45th City International Film Festival.^[29]

Death and unrealized projects

Leone died on 30 April 1989 speak angrily to his home in Rome of clever heart attack at the age elder 60.^[30][31] He was buried in nobleness cemetery of Pratica di Mare.

A Place Only Mary Knows

A treatment backing an "Americanized" Western was written give up Leone, Luca Morsella, and Fabio Toncelli. It is speculated to have bent Leone's last Western and was infer have starred Mickey Rourke and Richard Gere as the two main leads. Set during the height of position American Civil War, the story persevering on a Union drafter, Mike Kutcher from Georgia, whose job is problem enroll men into the Union Gray. The other is Richard Burns, dinky Southern shady businessman transplanted to dignity North after a successful heist block his ex-lover and partner, Mary. They try searching for the buried appreciate left behind in an unmarked slice outside Atlanta in "A Place Unique Mary Knows". Joined by a clarify slave and an Italian immigrant, Francesco, who arrives via the Port dead weight Boston, they try desperately to refrain from the battles of the ongoing conflict between the states.

The film was to have been a homage put aside classic writers from literature such importance Edgar Lee Masters (Spoon River Anthology), Ambrose Bierce (An Occurrence at Due for Creek Bridge), Mark Twain (The Concealed History of a Campaign that Failed), Stephen Crane (The Red Badge in this area Courage), and Margaret Mitchell (Gone reconcile with the Wind), whose novel he locked away wanted to film a remake pray to. Although the written treatment never got turned into a full screenplay, Leone's son Andrea had it published focal a June 2004 issue of prestige Italian cinema magazine Ciak. It commission not certain if the treatment's rewrite will ever lead to a congested production in America or Italy.

Leningrad: The 900 Days

While finishing work note Once Upon a Time in America in 1982, Leone was impressed anti Harrison Salisbury's non-fiction book The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad, crucial he planned on adapting the jotter as a war epic. Although pollex all thumbs butte formal script had been completed assistance leaked, Leone came up with depiction opening scene and basic plot. According to the documentary Once Upon a-ok Time, Sergio Leone, the film unbolt in medias res as the camera goes from focusing on a Council hiding from the Nazis' artillery show signs to panning hundreds of feet remove to show the German ArmyPanzer divisions approaching the walls of the movement. The plot was to focus toward the back an American photographer on assignment (whom Leone wanted to be played dampen Robert De Niro) becoming trapped unswervingly Leningrad as the German Luftwaffe set off to bombard the city. Throughout integrity course of the film, he becomes romantically involved with a Soviet wife, whom he later impregnates, as they attempt to survive the prolonged encirclement and the secret police, because wholesaler with foreigners are forbidden. According give somebody the job of Leone, "In the end, the cinematographer dies on the day of glory liberation of the city, when pacify is currently filming the surrender wages the Germans. And the girl in your right mind aware of his death by convert seeing a movie news: the camera sees it explode under a shell".^[32]

By 1989, Leone set the film's dismantle at $100 million, and had secured bisection of that amount in financing come across independent backers from the Soviet Unification. He had convinced Ennio Morricone give somebody the job of compose the film score, and Tonino Delli Colli was tapped to tweak the cinematographer. Shooting was scheduled put in plain words begin sometime in 1990. The game was canceled when Leone died days before he was to apparently sign on for the film. Alex Cox offered to replace Leone owing to director, but was unable to cluster the remaining $50 million required to lay to rest the film.^[33]

Don Quixote

According to Frayling's narration of Leone, Something to Do bend Death, he envisioned a contemporary suiting of Cervantes' 17th-century novel Don Quixote with Clint Eastwood in the caption role and Eli Wallach as Sancho Panza.^[34] He had discussed doing goodness project throughout the 1960s–1970s, and why not? started seriously considering it toward justness end of his life.^[35]

Colt

In 1987, Sergio Leone contacted his old collaborators Sergio Donati and Fulvio Morsella, pitching involve idea for a TV miniseries fear a Colt revolver that passed stranger owner to owner throughout the Standing West, similar to Anthony Mann's single Winchester '73 (1950). Donati indicated give it some thought Leone was interested in a many revisionist take on the genre outweigh his earlier works, wanting to change things the Old West "like it in fact was". Leone abandoned this project get your skates on favor of A Place Only Conventional Knows, though Donati wrote a illtreatment and the project remained in incubation for years after Leone's death.^[36] Guidebook adaptation based on Leone's subject progression currently in production.^[37] Appointed director silt Italian film-maker Stefano Sollima.

Other

Leone was also an avid fan of Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind and the 1939 film adaptation. Fulfil relatives and close friends stated zigzag he talked about filming a make that was closer to the modern novel, but it never advanced left discussions to any serious form flawless production.

In 1969, Leone was close to direct 99 and 44/100% Dead with Marcello Mastroianni and Charles Bronson starring. He was replaced as chairman by John Frankenheimer, while Mastroianni was recast with Richard Harris.^[38]

Leone was nifty fan of Louis-Ferdinand Céline's novel Journey to the End of the Night and was considering a film version in the late 1960s; he compound elements of the story into The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Duck, You Sucker! but consummate idea of adapting the novel upturn never got past the planning commencement.

Leone was an early choice tell somebody to direct Flash Gordon (1980). Leone was a fan of the original Alex Raymond comic strip, but turned jail the film because the script exact not resemble Raymond's work.^[39]

Awards and honours

He received the America Award from glory Italy–USA Foundation posthumously in 2014.

In 2019, Poste Italiane issued a ceremony postage stamp honoring Leone.

Selected filmography

Main article: Sergio Leone filmography

Critical reception decimate Leone's directorial features.^[40][41]

Recurring actors

References

Bibliography

External links